


Do You Listen to Debussy Often?

by jheyjette



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, F/M, Semi-Crack, kaito makes a brief appearance, mild background naegiri and hinanami because i'm predictible, some lowkey naegiri parenting because apparently that's just how i automatically write them now
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-15
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-16 16:28:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,891
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29456757
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jheyjette/pseuds/jheyjette
Summary: In which Kaede finds her soul mate through the perfect playlist.
Relationships: Akamatsu Kaede/Saihara Shuichi
Comments: 2
Kudos: 43





	Do You Listen to Debussy Often?

It all happens by chance.

At 12:00 sharp, Kaede always makes a beeline for the sandwich shop in the first floor of the Commons building. Unfortunately, that shop is closed for renovations today, so Kaede passes through the Arts and Technology building to grab a sandwich from the Starbucks on the first floor instead. It happens when she passes by the dark room.

Claire de Lune.

Kaede pauses. She turns and presses an ear against the door, ignoring the odd looks passing students are giving her. She closes her eyes, imagining a piano beneath her fingers as the pleasant melody continues. Eventually, the music stops, and so does Kaede’s interest. She gathers herself up again and prepares to continue on her quest for lunch, until another song starts to play. It’s Grande Valse Brilliante.

Mozart’s Piano Concerto Number 21. Beethoven’s 5th Symphony in C Minor. Kaede finds herself glued to the door, head filled with wonder and amazement over the mystery person within that just so happens to have the exact same taste in music as her. Could that person be her soul mate? Or perhaps-

“Kaede?”

Kaede turns to find Hajime staring at her, a Starbucks coffee in one hand, a sandwich in another. Kaede’s stomach growls.

“Hajime…If it’s not too much trouble, would you be so kind as to-“

“Nope, this is for Chiaki.”

“Darn.”

“More importantly, what are you doing creeping around the dark room?”

“My soul mate’s in there.”

Hajime makes a long suffering face. “Yeah, you know what? Forget I asked.” Before he can make his exit, Kaede wraps her arms around his torso in a vice-like grip, startling Hajime and nearly causing him to spill the steaming cup of coffee in his hand.

“Hey, what the-“

“Do you know who’s in there?”

“What? No! I don’t take any classes in this building. I only come in here whenever I meet up with Chiaki.”

Kaede deflates and lets go of Hajime. “Oh.” A realization finally seems to dawn on her as she swiftly takes her phone out of her pocket and checks the time.

“Wha- 12:45?!” Never mind her lunch, she might end up missing her next class if she doesn’t get a move on. She looks back at the dark room, a familiar Tchaikovsky piece gently trickling out. She looks back at her phone. Soulmate or class? Soulmate or class? 

“Yes!”

Kaede turned to where the voice came from. It sounded like her mystery soulmate’s picture turned out great! She felt giddy just from hearing the joy in his voice. Kaede swiveled her head back to look at Hajime.

“Did you hear that?! His voice sounds adorable! Great taste in music and a beautiful voice!”

“He could be ugly.”

“I don’t care about looks, I care about appreciation for the arts, music, which this man clearly does.”

At this point, Hajime’s just tired. Not wanting to continue the pointless debate anymore, he deals a finishing blow. “You better get a move on, or you’ll miss your next class.” 

Kaede jerks her head up. Hajime stares back, one eyebrow raised. “Ugh, fine. Yeah, you’re right.” Kaede pockets her phone and sullenly starts to speed walk past Hajime. As soon as she’s out of ear shot, Hajime hears the music from the dark room finally halt. Now consumed by Kaede’s infectious curiosity, Hajime hangs back, taking a seat in one of the nearby sofas and idly tapping on his phone to appear busy. He hears the door open and turns his head ever so slightly to catch a glimpse of Kaede’s so-called soul mate.

The boy is slim and of average height, with long eye lashes and a hat the obscures part of his face. He glances behind him, gaze meeting Hajime, and the boy offers a small smile and a wave.

“Hi, Hajime. Doing another lunch run for Chiaki?”

Hajime returns the wave. “Yup. I was just texting her to let her know I was coming. What about you? How’s your project coming along?”

Shuichi beams. “It’s been going great, actually! I think I might get it done this week.”

“That sounds great! Good luck.”

“Thank you.” With one last smile, Shuichi walks off. 

Hmmm…Should I tell Kaede? Hajime shakes his head, already imagining the head aches that would come, starting with the blonde trying to force him to set up a meeting between the two. Yeah, no. Hajime had more pressing matters to attend to. Like getting his girlfriend her lunch. I’m sure she’ll figure it out on her own at some point. 

* * *

From then on, Kaede makes it a point to grab her lunch from the Starbucks at the Arts and Technology building. Once her lunch is secure, she always sets up camp right outside the dark room, munching on her sandwich as her ears are graced with the melodies of history’s greatest artists. Unfortunately, she can never seem to catch her mystery man. If it isn’t because of time, it’s because of an ill timed bathroom break, a sudden phone call, or a friend passing by. 

She doesn’t usually have classes on Fridays, but she finds herself outside of the dark room anyway, sandwich and coffee in hand. To her relief, her mystery man is still working on…whatever it is he’s working on in the dark room. Kaede settles into her usual seat, eyes glued to the door to leading to the dark room. She doesn’t have to worry about tardiness today, so she has all the time in the world. Her cell phone is on silent, and most of her friends don’t have Friday classes either, so she should be-

“Kaede?”

Kaede tries not to frown when she hears her name, forcing a smile on her face as she turns to address the speaker.

“Makoto! What a surprise! What are you doing here?”

“Oh, I’m meeting up with Chihiro today. He wanted me to test out a new game that he’s developing. What about you? I thought you didn’t take any classes in this building.”

“Oh, well-“

The music suddenly stops and so does Kaede.

“Um, Kaede, are you ok-“

Kaede holds up a hand, signaling Makoto to quiet down, which he thankfully obliges. Kaede turns, and as she does, she can feel her heart pounding, as if it’s about to burst out of her chest. Whoever comes out of that room will be her soul mate and they’ll live happily ever after and-

And the person who steps out is Kokichi Ouma.

He doesn’t even go to school here. Why is he here.

“No”, Kaede says under her breath, horrified. “It can’t be him, there has to be a mistake.”

Kokichi notices them and waves in greeting. “Heeey! Makoto! Kaede!” He yells, even though there really isn’t any need to yell. The chair Kaede elected to set up camp in is pretty close to the dark room, after all. Kokichi runs up to them, quickly closing the distance between them.

“Fancy meeting the both of you here!”

“Hello, Kokichi.” Makoto greets back with a smile. “I could say the same for you, what brings you here?”

“Oh, you know, just checking out some classes that I might want to try out.”

When Kaede speaks, she doesn’t hide the bitterness in her voice. “But you don’t even go here. How did you make it past campus security?”

Kokichi smirks. “Wouldn’t you like to know?” The phrase does not answer either of Kaede’s questions, but then again, Kokichi never answers her questions. Despite knowing this, she finds herself asking another.

“Kokichi, have you been in the dark room all week?”

“Hmmm…Maybe? My memory’s kind of fuzzy. I’m usually only in there when I’m with- Wait;” he pauses, his smile turning mischievous, “Why are you asking?”

Kaede lets out a disgruntled sigh as she stands up and gathers her things. “It’s nothing. Just forget about it.” If Interrogating Kokichi has never ended well for her. She turns to Makoto. “It was good seeing you again. Say hi to Kyoko and Chihiro for me.”

“Oh, okay. It was good to see you too!”

“Hey, what about me?!” Kokichi asks. Kaede stops, looks at him with the most done face she can muster, then turns to leave without another word.

As Kaede turns the corner and exits the building, another boy exits the dark room.

“Oh, Shuichi!” Kokichi exclaims,running up to the taller boy and wrapping his arms around his torso. “You won’t believe this! I’ve been rejected.”

“Oh. Okay. Hi Makoto.”

“Hi Shuichi!”

“Wha- Is that all you can say?! No words of comfort?!”

“Knowing you, you’re just being dramatic again.”

* * *

Kaede slumps in her seat in the cafeteria, setting down her tray of greasy fast food.

“Love is dead.”

“Is this about the mystery playlist boy?” Sayaka asks as she takes a bite out of her salad.

Kaede groans. “I’ll take that as a yes.” Sayaka says.

“It was Kokichi! I heard the music loud and clear, and who should come out, but that purple gremlin?!”

Sayaka nods, continuing to eat her lunch without batting an eye. Then she pauses, as if suddenly realizing something.

“Kaede, you said that this mystery boy of yours was in the dark room every day for the past week at around noon, right?”

Kaede nods glumly. 

“Then if that’s the case, your guy probably isn’t Kokichi. I saw him messing around in the robotics lab around that time last Wednesday.”

As if suddenly hit with a bolt of energy, Kaede stands up. She turns to look at Sayaka, face completely serious.

“You’re sure?”

Sayaka, undisturbed, simply nods. “Yes. I’d recognize that shrill laugh anywhere.”

Kaede’s face breaks into a grin as she moves to hug Sayaka. “Oh, thank you! Thank you! Love isn’t dead after all!”

Sayaka laughs as she playfully pushes her friend off. “Well, what are you waiting for? Go get your man!”

Kaede lets go and laughs as she turns to leave. “I will!”

Sayaka goes back to eating, feeling a sense of accomplishment and making a silent prayer that her friend can finally meet this mystery boy she seems so smitten with. She’s snapped out of her reverie when she hears the clink of a tray come from across the table.

“Oh, hello Kyoko!”

Kyoko’s face remained impassive, but there was the faintest hint of a smile as she acknowledged the other girl. “Hello. Was that Kaede just now?“

Sayaka giggled. “Yeah. But she just left-“

“In the hopes of meeting her soul mate?” Kyoko asked, tone sounding amused. “Makoto already filled me in.”

“Oh, so does that mean you’ve already figured out who the mystery man is?”

“Yes.”

Sayaka’s eyes grew wide. “How much do I have to pay to tell me?”

This time, the smile was definitely visible. “I’ll do it for free. It’s Shuichi.”

“No way. Your junior? Wait, who else knows?”

“Besides you, only Makoto.”

A beat.

“You’re not planning on telling Kaede, are you?”

“If she can’t figure it out on her own, then she doesn’t deserve to date my son.”

Sayaka sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Kyoko, for the last time, Shuichi is your junior, not your son.”

* * *

Kaede checks the time on her phone as she sprints. It’s still 12:20, so she still might make it! She dashes into the the Arts and Technology building and runs in the direction of the dark room as fast as she can. She finally screeches to a halt directly in front of the door. Once again, she can hear familiar music trickling out, feeling as though the music notes are wrapping her up into a welcoming hug. She lets out a sigh of relief and moves to find a chair to set up camp in when she hears the music suddenly come to a halt. 

She pauses and tentatively turns around. It happens in only a matter of seconds, but Kaede can feel it stretching into minutes as her eyes lock on to the door with baited breath. Slowly, it opens. 

“Oh, ouch! Was it always this bright out?”

Kaede stares. The speaker turns and acknowledges her with a smile and a wave.

“Hey, Kaede! What’s up?”

Kaede forces on a smile. “Hi, Kaito! I’m doing great!”

Kaede’s disappointment is immeasurable and her day is ruined. No, it’s not because she dislikes Kaito. She’s actually quite fond of him. But she also knows that he’s in a serious relationship with Maki, who may or may not have killed a man at some point before enrolling in their university. 

She supposes the possibility of her mystery man not being single was always there. She supposes she shouldn’t have gotten her hopes up so readily. 

“Kaede, is everything alright?” Kaito asks, frowning in concern.

“Oh, no! I’m fine! Uh, I didn’t know you were taking photography!”

Kaito laughs. “Believe me, I didn’t join by choice! I’m honestly just taking it because my friend-“

Kaede’s phone suddenly rings, causing her to jolt in surprise. She mumbles an apology to Kaito, who waves her off with a smile. Kaede turns to take her call and head to her next class. Now that she knows who her mystery man is, there’s no longer any need for her to stick around.

The door to the dark room opens again.

“Oh, hey Shuichi! Did you finish cleaning up?”

Shuichi smiles. “Yeah. Thanks again for the help.”

“It’s no problem! Anything for my best bro!”

Shuichi smiles again, then turns to look down at the photo in his hands. An image of the night sky during a full moon. Kaito leans in next to him and whistles.

“Hey, it turned out pretty great!”

“Thanks. But, I don’t know why…For some reason, I feel like I keep missing something. Like, it’s this close, but I can never get the timing right, you know?”

* * *

When they finally meet, it isn’t in front of the dark room, like she expects.

She’s sitting in a cafe not far from the university, idly stirring her cup of coffee when she hears a loud yelp and a thud. A smartphone skids across the asphalt and lands at her shoes. Kaede looks down, and her eyes widen when she sees the phone’s screen.

The song currently playing is Clair de Lune, but what really catches her attention is the name of the playlist - Photography Playlist. Without thinking, she picks the phone up and scrolls through the rest of the playlist. Mozart’s Piano Concerto Number 21, Beethoven’s 5th Symphony in C Minor, Grande Valse Brilliante - all songs she’d heard from the dark room for the past few days.

“Um, excuse me?”

Kaede looks up, stunned.

She recognizes the boy as Kyoko’s up and coming protege, Shuichi Saihara. While they’ve crossed passed plenty of times before, they’d never actually gotten the chance to speak before now. Kaede squinted. She’d never really taken the time to take a good look at him, but he had a pretty face, with long eye lashes that almost made her jealous. Almost.

“Um, my phone?”

Kade blinked, finally realizing what exactly she was holding.

“Oh, right, sorry! Here!”

She handed the phone over. To her relief, Shuichi didn’t seem to mind her absentmindedness, thanking her instead of huffing in irritation like most people would have. She didn’t know why she was feeling so nervous now, she had simulated their fated meeting dozens of times in her head before, but now that her mystery man, scratch that, now that Shuichi was standing right in front of her, she found herself tongue tied. 

“Well then;” Shuichi began, after the long stretch seemed to have become too unbearable for both parties. Kaede didn’t hesitate as she lunged forward and grabbed onto Shuichi’s arm. He let out a surprised yelp as he turned to look at Kaede, eyes wide.

Kaede put on her most dazzling smile as she asked, “Do you listen to Debussy often?”

* * *

“You all knew?!” Kaede exclaims as she rises from her seat on the couch. 

“I thought it would be funnier if I left it alone;” Hajime says.

“Kyoko bought my silence;” Sayaka says, showing her a picture of Leon dressed as a familiar twin tailed Vocaloid.

“I didn’t think you’d be good enough for our son if you couldn’t figure it out on your own;” Kyoko says, completely serious. She’s sitting seiza style, Makoto smiling awkwardly next to her like they’re in a marriage interview and not the dorm lounge.

Kaede lets out a frustrated groan as she flops back down and leans her head against Shuichi’s shoulder. 

“Terrible friends. Every single one of you.”

Shuichi lets out a laugh, ruffling Kaede’s hair as she continues to pout and nuzzles further into his arm.

“PDA.” Hajime says dryly. 

“Oh, like you and Chiaki are any better!” Kaede counters back, gesturing to the pink haired girl sitting comfortably on Hajime’s lap as she absently plays on her Switch, completely ignoring the ongoing conversation around her.

“Okay. That’s fair.”

Kyoko cleared her throat, regaining everyone’s attention (well, everyone except for Chiaki). “It seems we’ve all forgotten why this meeting was called in the first place. Once again, I must ask, Kaede Akamatsu, what are your intentions with our son?”

Kaede groaned. “For the last time, he’s not your son, he’s your junior!”

**Author's Note:**

> I couldn't find good place to put it in the story proper, but Kaede knows Makoto and Hajime because they used to be on the debate club together in high school, which is how she subsequently got acquainted to their weird circle of friends.  
> Also, what do you mean Shuichi isn't Kyoko and Makoto's son? They have the adoption papers somewhere-  
> My tumblr: https://jheyjette.tumblr.com/


End file.
